Title : Asterix
Publisher : Infogrames
Genre : Platformer
Players : 1 Player
Release Date : 1993
Estimated Value (as of today's date) : $50-$75
I may be cheating a little bit by adding this game to my NES reviews since it was only released in Europe, but I can't help it. Asterix was one of my favorite cartoons / comics growing up and I snagged as many translated versions of this as I could.
For those of you who don't know, Asterix was a French comic back in the late 50's about a group of Celts called the Gaul who were resisting Roman expansion. This one tribe of Gauls were actually granted super power abilities by a group of druids. Their main hero was one soldier named Asterix. In the comics, you just follow Asterix and his friend Obelisk around on their hilarious adventures throughout Europe as they battle the Roman armies.
Being a cartooning major, and having a huge obsession with comics, this was one of the ones that inspired me to draw when I was younger. So, of course I had to give the NES version of this story a run for its money.
The game was released for a few systems, but like I said, only in Europe. It never saw a US release, mainly because Asterix just wasn't popular over here. It's a standard platform game, much like some of the Disney games you saw during this time period (Lion King, Aladdin, Little Mermaid). You play as Asterix, battling your way through various levels in search of your friend Obelisk before he's thrown to the lions by the Roman Caesar.
It's fairly straight forward, and nothing too gimmicky about it. You face off against a wide range of enemies, while rushing through the stages as quickly as possible, collecting power ups and racking up your score. For 1993 however, this doesn't really provide much entertainment on the NES, especially when you could see this game in a much better light on the SNES.
One thing I will say about this game, is that the artwork and animation are surprisingly fluid. The developers did a fantastic job with using whatever tech they had available for the NES to make it as visually appealing as possible. While the SNES version is noticeably better, the NES version gives it quite the run for its money. I was honestly pretty impressed.
It's a shame they didn't give this series a shot in the US, although I'm not confident that it would have been a success. Still, thanks to ease of acquiring games nowadays, at least I can guarantee that I'll be able to play these games whenever I want.
On a final note, if you're looking for a hilarious new comic to read, check out the original Asterix series. You won't be disappointed.
Final Score (out of 5) :
Until next time. Keep on gaming!
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